Once the exclusive province of screaming teenagers in game parlors and movie theatre lobbies, video games have come home to roost--permanently. The average age of today's video game player is 33, with an average age of 40 for people who frequently buy video titles for the home. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reports that almost 70 percent of heads of American households are avid gamers. Video game sales have topped $ 7 billion annually.
Game enthusiasts are devoted to their genres, whether they're into role playing, action, first-person shooters, fantasy, or online strategy games. Most of the older Americans playing video games run them on home PCs, while almost half of the console game addicts are under 18 years old. And women make up about 30 percent of the national video gaming population. We love video games; we play them on an average of 7 hours a week; and we buy new ones all the time.
The number of online gamers is rising, according to the ESA. More than 40 percent of frequent game buyers play online, and just over 40 percent of the number of online gamers are women. Gamers, says the ESA, spend over three times the weekly hours playing online than they do exercising. Consequently, video game software sales were up four percent in 2005. At $7.3 billion, annual sales have more than doubled from 1996 levels.
Getting Into the Professions
The exponential rise in video game users has fed not only the giants in game console manufacturing but also the software companies that design the games themselves. Jobs in the industry are highly competitive, and many trade professionals are encouraged to take more training than ever to advance in the field.
It's true that many studios use proprietary software, but the routine advancement in digital technology and animation software means that even experienced job candidates have to take ongoing refresher courses at trade schools and colleges.
Let's have a look at some key roles in the gaming studio and how people prepare for them:
Video Game Testers and QA leads
Testers often take jobs with a company with the hopes that assuming an entry-level role will open doors into prime jobs. They're the first people who get to play the game and try to find flaws in it. Meanwhile, they may be building a portfolio of work to apply for animation jobs.
Testers typically hold at least an associate's or bachelor's degree in a technical programming or graphics design field with a focus on software and illustration skills. Experienced testers can move up to Quality Assurance (QA) lead roles where the pay ranges from $50,000 to more than $100,000 a year.
Video Game Programmers and Engineers
Video Game Programmers usually have had four years of formal technical training plus some combination of game industry experience with formal software courses. They write the code that runs the animations, music, and menus. Entry-level programmers may earn less than $60,000 a year, but they can move into lead programmer roles earning well above six figures.
Video Game Artists and Animators
Animators are in high demand, but you'll need a strong portfolio of work to get in the door. You may need a two- or four-year graphics and software degree--plus some experience in the field--to find steady work. Consider attending schools that focus on 3-D character modeling, animations, storyboarding, and visual effects.
Experience pays off. Lead animators with 6-years' experience or more earn more than many programmers. According to Animation Arena, top-end animator salaries can total $220,000.
Composers
All that sizzling background music in Grand Theft Auto or Halo has to come from somewhere. Composers earn around $65,000 a year during their first six years in the trade. After that, however, they often leap into the promised land of video game music-making at six figures annually and more. Even if you're self-taught, you'll need to know music theory, scoring, and digital instrumentation--typically garnered through undergrad and graduate-level musical training.
There's no shame in beginning at the game-testing or QA level. Many working animators, producers, and directors say that they began doing just that. You'll integrate the skills you learned in the classroom, and your employers will see that you can master the work. How cool would it be if you were paid handsomely to design and play games for a living?